Group Blog talking about the NBA 2009 Eastern Conference Champions. Due to the amazing success of the 2009 playoff run comments are now frequently deleted to kill offensive comments, incoherence, or asininity. Comments can no longer be anonymous and require either a Blogger or OpenID account.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Anderson continues to impress in early Summer League play for Magic

Embedded video from NBA VideoHere are excerpts from an article written Wednesday by the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins along with Brian Schmitz:

Ryan Anderson has played in just two summer-league exhibitions for the Orlando Magic, but already one thing is clear: The 6-foot-10 power forward can knock down open shots from the perimeter.

Acquired in the draft-day trade with New Jersey that brought Vince Carter to Orlando, Anderson put on an impressive performance Tuesday in the Orlando Pro Summer League. He scored 33 points on 11-of-15 shooting and added 14 rebounds in the Magic's victory over the Boston Celtics.

The trade to Orlando caught Anderson by surprise, but he said he's over that shock.

"If anything, I'm just really happy," Anderson said. "It's a great move for me, because I feel like this team fits my game really well with the way I shoot the ball."

Anderson's 33 points Tuesday bode well for the future, no question.

"His shooting is impressive,"(Otis) Smith said. "With the way we play, with the floor spread, you still want to see him be able to do those types of things and rebound the ball. Those things are big."

"If anything, I'm just really happy," Anderson said. "It's a great move for me, because I feel like this team fits my game really well with the way I shoot the ball."

"When he's playing at a high level with his confidence, you'll see a lot of great things from him," Carter said. "I think he's going to spread the floor with the team we already have."

Yet even Anderson suggests his outing should be put into the proper perspective. The 21-year-old envisions himself as a role player when the 2009-10 season rolls around, helping to spread out the defense and provide some rebounding when starter Rashard Lewis is out of the game.

"It's summer league," Anderson said. "During the regular season, I don't expect to score 30 or 20 a game. I expect that's not what my role's supposed to be, especially with Vince and Dwight [Howard]. I'm not coming in thinking I'm a go-to guy or anything."

As of Tuesday, Orlando had eight players under contract for the upcoming season. One guy who might fill out the roster is Jeremy Richardson, a guard/forward who played in 12 games last season. Richardson said he expects to sign a contract with the Magic in the coming days.

Richardson spent part of Tuesday teaming with Anderson on the Magic's summer-league team, and when Richardson left the game with a sprained right ankle, Anderson picked up the scoring load.

Today is the first day free agents can sign with new teams, and Smith has said he doesn't plan to make any immediate signings. In the meantime, Hedo Turkoglu is expected to sign a deal to go to the Toronto Raptors while backup center Marcin Gortat plans to sign a lucrative offer sheet to play for the Dallas Mavericks.

Because Gortat is a restricted free agent, the Magic would have seven days to match any offer, and Smith said Tuesday that he'll take the full seven days to make a final decision. By waiting, Smith could increase his leverage in talks with potential free agents. Smith has said, however, he wouldn't pay more than $5 million a season for a backup to Howard.